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Simply Perfect Beef Roast is just like Grandma used to make! This classic comfort food is only 3 ingredients, slow braised in the oven all day and deliciously tender! Simple enough for a weeknight meal yet fancy enough for a special occasion, you'll want to come back to this recipe again and again!
Simply Perfect Ingredients
Over the years I have adapted my fancier Rich Molasses Braised Beef Roast Recipe to be quite elaborate. No doubt, it's incredibly delicious, sweet and savory with quite a long ingredient list.
But, recently with the cold weather, probably pressed for time and convenience, I went back to the original recipe my mom sent me to college with. I've retitled it Simply Perfect Beef Roast because it is just that, simple and perfect.
Only 3 ingredients, 1 beef roast, 1 onion, and 1 quart beef stock. Mom called them "hot beefs" and served them on little white buns. I forgot how good the simple version is!
Beef Roast is made by braising the meat in a Dutch oven (a large pot with a tight fitting lid will work). This means searing it first and then cooking it in liquid (beef stock) in the oven at a low temperature for a long period of time.
The long slow cooking develops the flavor and breaks down the meat to be shredded easily with tongs and melt-in-your-mouth tender!
Braising this Dutch oven shredded beef is how to make an inexpensive, tough cut of meat tender. You would not braise a tenderloin, for example, since cows don't do sit ups, the tenderloin muscle is not used much and so is naturally tender, perfect for steaks.
The cow's shoulders and leg muscles however, are heavily used, making the meat tough and perfect for braising. A crock pot will work the same way, but searing the meat before adding it to the crockpot will give you better flavor.
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Just Like Grandma Used to Make
After 8 hours in my oven, the smell took me right back to the little kitchen booth at my Grandma's house that we all preferred to cram around, instead of the big dining room table.
In my memory, every time we ate dinner at Grandma's, we had beef roast and Garlic Mashed Potatoes. As a kid I didn't know how lucky I was! I was probably hoping for pizza or something.
I loved that little kitchen booth, padded pink vinyl under floral wallpaper, endless games of Gin Rummy, Double Solitaire, Parcheesi, Chinese Checkers, and Monopoly with my cousins and Grandma, while Grandpa had a martini and got 90% of the Jeopardy! clues right.
Ingredients
- Beef Roast - I usually find a 2.5 to 3 pound chuck roast, but take a look at what seems like the best quality at your store. Meat should be bright red, not browning or multicolored. A marbling of fat is a good thing, it makes your roast tender. When it's finished cooking you can discard any fatty pieces with tongs. Season the roast generously with salt and pepper, the simplest of seasonings. Then coat it in flour, which forms a crusty layer on the meat when it is seared and also helps thicken the stock into a sauce. This will serve about 8 people or give you great leftovers.
- Onion - A yellow or white onion roughly chopped.
- Beef Stock - This Dutch oven pulled beef is made by braising which means to cook it in the oven in a liquid. The beef stock allows a tough cut of meat to slow cook until tender, leaving it in a rich sauce. Use one quart (one box) for this recipe.
How to Cook A Roast in the Oven - Instructions
Step 1 - Preheat your oven to 300° and a Dutch oven or large pot on the stove with olive oil.
Season the beef generously with salt and pepper and then coat it in flour. You may want to pre measure these and have them in a bowl so your hands aren't touching the raw meat and the pepper grinder!
Step 2 - Sear the beef in the hot pot. Let it really get a good dark brown color, don't move it around in the pot, just let it sear!
You can pull up the edge with tongs to decide if it's ready to flip.
Step 3 - Flip the beef to sear on the other side, add the onions around the meat to begin cooking.
Step 4 - Add the stock, cover, and transfer the pot to the oven for 7 to 8 hours. You can take the roast out and flip it once or twice during the day.
As you reach the last 1 to 2 hours, check on the roast. If you still have plenty of liquid, you can remove the cover so the sauce can reduce a bit.
At 7 or 8 hours the meat should be tender and you can shred it with tongs.
Step 5 - At this point you can time your Dutch oven shredded beef to be ready when you are. If it seems done, just cover it and turn the oven off but let it sit in the oven until you are ready to serve.
If it needs more cooking time, leave the cover off and let it continue cooking. The exact cooking time can vary depending on your oven and the size of the roast.
What to Serve with a Beef Roast
An easy weeknight meal with great leftovers, just add a few side dishes!
- Roasted Potatoes with Broccoli and simple vegetables like Simple Green Beans and Carrots with Butter
- Mashed Sweet Potatoes or Mashed Butternut Squash
- Serve over grilled or toasted bread or Homemade Dutch Oven Bread
- Add a Spinach Arugula Salad
- Serve as sandwiches on soft white buns
- Serve on big hoagie buns or paninis with melted white cheddar or provolone
It's elegant enough for a holiday! For a smaller gathering you could serve it for Christmas or New Years with:
- Rosemary Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- Green Bean Au Gratin or Broccoli Au Gratin
- Roasted Carrots and Brussel Sprouts
- Butternut Squash Casserole or Sweet Potato Casserole
- Roasted Sweet Potato Slices in Garlic Honey Butter
- Maple Roasted Butternut Squash with Cranberries
- Add an appetizer like my Cranberry Honey Baked Brie or Raisin Pine Nut Goat Cheese Dip!
Storage and Leftover Uses
- Storage - Store leftover beef roast in the fridge for up to 4 days. Before reheating beef roast, you can use a spoon to scrap off the white fat layer that rises to the top after it has been refrigerated.
- Make Ahead - You can make an entire beef roast a day in advance, cool the pot in the fridge, and rewarm it the next day. This is great for game day sandwiches or any gathering you want to the meal ready in advance!
- Freezer - This Dutch oven shredded beef freezes well, so you can also save it for another beef roast night, on sandwiches, buns or paninis. Just thaw overnight and warm on the stovetop.
- Removing Excess Fat - Don't try to cut fat off the raw roast, it's good for the cooking process. Instead, pick through the finished roast with tongs and pull out any fatty pieces as you shred it.
- Leftover Meal Ideas - The simple flavors of this basic beef roast allow for great possibilities in leftovers. My favorite way to use leftover pot roast is Ragu Pasta Bake, a hearty tomato sauce with some of the shredded beef, tossed with pasta and baked in a casserole with lots of melty cheese! I've also used the beef as a taco filling. Top it with pico de gallo salsa and shredded cabbage on charred tortillas with Mexican crumbled queso fresco and guacamole.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, and it should! A Dutch oven is a heavy pot made of cast iron often enameled, and with a tight fitting lid. It is the perfect tool to make this tender, braised, fall apart pot roast! A Dutch oven is great because you can begin by searing the beef roast on the stove top to get lots of flavor, then add the braising liquid and transfer the whole pot to the oven where it can slow cook all day, giving you tender, melt-in-your-mouth Dutch oven shredded beef roast!
Yes, you can easily leave out the flour. The flour while searing does give the roast a nice crust and helps it brown, but if you need the roast to be gluten-free, you can just omit it.
Yes! Braising the beef roast in the oven, low and slow, is essentially just like a crock-pot. I still recommend searing the roast on the stovetop first before transferring to a crock-pot to slow cook all day.
If You Love Slow Braised Roasts, Try These!
If you made this recipe, I'd love to hear how you liked it! Be sure to leave a star rating by clicking the stars in the recipe card, or leave a comment below!
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Simply Perfect Beef Roast
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Print Pin RateEquipment
- Dutch oven or large heavy pot
Ingredients
- 3 pound beef roast (chuck roast or whatever looks like the best quality) (seasoned with 2t kosher salt, 15 grinds black pepper, and 2 T flour)
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 quart beef stock
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300°.
- On the stove top, preheat a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat and add about 2 Tablespoons of olive oil.
- On a large plate or the brown paper packaging, season the roast on all sides with 2 teaspoons salt and 15 grinds of black pepper and then coat the roast in 2 Tablespoons of flour.
- Add the beef to the hot pot, letting it sear on one side to a dark brown color, do not move it around in the pot.
- When browned well, flip the beef with tongs to brown the other side and add onion to start sautéing around the beef.
- When the second side is browned and the onions soft, add the beef stock and stir.
- Cover and transfer the entire pot to the oven. Cook for about 6 to 8 hours (can vary by oven), stirring and flipping the roast once or twice during the day. (Note: make sure to check on the roast in the last 1 or 2 hours. If you still have plenty of liquid, remove the lid for the final hour to thicken the sauce. If you don't have enough liquid, add a bit of water so the roast doesn't burn).
- After 6 to 8 hours, the meat will be extremely tender and can be shredded with tongs, while the liquid will have reduced leaving the beef in a dark sauce. Discard any pieces of fat or gristle.
- Serve with mashed potatoes and roasted veggies, over grilled bread, or on sandwich buns.
Notes
- As you reach the last 1 to 2 hours, check on the roast. If you still have plenty of liquid, you can remove the cover so the sauce can reduce a bit. If you are running out of liquid or it seems dry, add more beef stock.
- At 7 or 8 hours the meat should be tender and you can shred it with tongs. At this point you can time the roast to be ready when you are. If it seems done, just cover it and turn the oven off but let it sit in the oven until you are ready to serve. If it needs more cooking time, leave the cover off and let it continue cooking. The exact cooking time can vary depending on your oven and the size of the roast.
- Don't try to cut fat off the raw roast. Instead, pick through the finished roast with tongs and pull out any fatty pieces as you shred it.
- Remember this is a large cut of beef, so season generously with salt and pepper.
- Leftovers can be frozen, reheated for lunch, or used in Ragu Pasta Bake.
Ann says
Even on a hot summer day, this roast really hit the spot. So easy! I put my oven knob on "roast" at 300 degrees. Kept the cover on the whole time. Used a whole box of beef stock (32 oz) and added a bag of carrots, quartered, about midway through. Made mashed potatoes on the side. Thickened the stock with a little cornstarch for gravy. My roast was tender after 5 hours.
Meryl Downing says
Thanks Ann, this is one of our family favorite recipes!
John says
This is so simple and BOY, does it ever make the house smell cozy. I roasted this all day and corresponded with my cousin who was making the molasses version. It was fun to compare notes on two wonderful recipes. I opted for the garlic mashed potatoes and found a wonderful glazed carrot recipe to boot.
Meryl Downing says
Thanks John! I'm so glad you liked it! You and your cousin will have to swap and try the molasses version next!
Ann says
I keep making this wonderful recipe. I kept it covered the whole time and raised the temperature to 325 degrees. It was done and perfectly tender in 4 hours. This is one of her best recipes!
Diane says
What is the oven temp?????
Meryl Downing says
Hi Diane,
The oven temperature is 300°. You can find the full recipe card at the bottom of the blog post.